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Last night in a new report, Democrat-friendly Goldman Sachs dropped an economic bomb on President Obama’s chances for reelection (bold is mine):

Following another week of weak economic data, we have cut our estimates for real GDP growth in the second and third quarter of 2011 to 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, from 2% and 3.25%. Our forecasts for Q4 and 2012 are under review, but even excluding any further changes we now expect the unemployment rate to come down only modestly to 8¾% at the end of 2012.

The main reason for the downgrade is that the high-frequency information on overall economic activity has continued to fall substantially short of our expectations. … Some of this weakness is undoubtedly related to the disruptions to the supply chain—specifically in the auto sector—following the East Japan earthquake. By our estimates, this disruption has subtracted around ½ percentage point from second-quarter GDP growth. We expect this hit to reverse fully in the next couple of months, and this could add ½ point to third-quarter GDP growth. Moreover, some of the hit from higher energy costs is probably also temporary, as crude prices are down on net over the past three months. But the slowdown of recent months goes well beyond what can be explained with these temporary effects. … final demand growth has slowed to a pace that is typically only seen in recessions. .. Moreover, if the economy returns to recession—not our forecast, but clearly a possibility given the recent numbers …

Alarms bells must be ringing all over Obamaland today. Unemployment on Election Day about where it is right now? Sputtering — if not stalling — economic growth? To many Americans that would sound like the car is back in the ditch — if it was ever out. Maybe Goldman is wrong, but economists across Wall Street have been growing more bearish.

And recall that back in August of 2009, the White House — after having a half year to view the economy and its $800 billion stimulus response — made an astoundingly optimistic forecast. Starting in 2011, with Obamanomics fully in gear and the recession over, growth would take off. GDP would rise 4.3 percent in 2011, followed by … 4.3 percent growth in 2012 and 2013, too! And 2014? Another year of 4.0 percent growth. Off to the races, America.

Even in its forecast earlier this year, Team Obama said it was looking for 3.5 percent GDP growth in 2012, followed by 4.4 percent in 2013, 4.3 percent in 2014.

Goldman Sachs doesn’t have to tell you things are bad. I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. Unemployment is at 9.2 percent (11.4 percent if the official labor force hadn’t collapsed since 2008 and 16.2 percent if you include discouraged and underemployed workers.) Moreover, the economy grew at just 1.9 percent in the first quarter of this year and may have grown less than 2 percent in the second. Wages and income are going nowhere fast.

When will the White House signal a change of economic direction? Will cutting tax rates and regulation ever make it on the agenda? That may be the only way Obama can win another term. And time is running short.

[...] Goldman Sachs analysts expect unemployment to remain above 8.75% through 2012. Following another week of weak economic data, we have cut our estimates for real GDP growth in the second and third quarter of 2011 to 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, from 2% and 3.25%. Our forecasts for Q4 and 2012 are under review, but even excluding any further changes we now expect the unemployment rate to come down only modestly to 8¾% at the end of 2012. [...]

[...] the board and warned that unemployment wouldn’t budge much over the next eighteen months, as James Pethokoukis reports: Following another week of weak economic data, we have cut our estimates for real GDP growth in the [...]

It’s pretty obvious this President does not want to change directions. He has people around him who believe the Harvard Faculty Lounge Economic Plan will work eventually, it just needs more money. He’s had Robert Reich telling him all he needs is a WPA or some other New Deal program (which failed by the way) and things will be just fine. This is how you get to be a one term president.

[...] James Pethokoukis (via The Political Wire) notes Goldman Sachs “dropped an economic bomb” on President Obama’s chances for reelection last night: “Our forecasts for Q4 and 2012 are under review, but even excluding any further changes we now expect the unemployment rate to come down only modestly to 8 3/4% at the end of 2012… final demand growth has slowed to a pace that is typically only seen in recessions… Moreover, if the economy returns to recession — not our forecast, but clearly a possibility given the recent numbers…” [...]

Obama, Obamacrats, Obamacare-all bad.
Now Obamanomics-also very bad.
It’s the reverse Midas touch. To quote our man-made-up climate change guru Al Gore: “Everything that is supposed to be down is up and everything that is supposed to be up is down.” It’ really to bad that those “…shovel-ready projects weren’t as shovel-ready as we thought. Ha, ha, ha …” What a comic!

Ha Ha Ha!!! And Odumbo and his flunkies helped bail out Goldman and took millions in campaign contributions and they get this news?? I love it. The economy is in a total depression and Obozo just wants more fed borrowing from the enemy to bail his sorry Party Boy butt out in 2012. Obozo loves flying around in his private jet, and his moron wife loves living off the broke taxpayer while she parties all over the world. Economic growth? There isn’t any!! Get used to it.

All these trends will accelerate. All the “solutions” including the Ryan plan presume a return to 4% odd growth that is already six or eight months late. It will not arrive. Watch monthly revenues, they are only going DOWN. Increases in tax rates will drive that down faster. O will respond with further money printing, borrowing will scarcely be possible regardless of what happens with the debt ceiling.

[...] only for the overall U.S. economy, but more specifically for the Obama re-election campaign. Via James Pethokoukis at Reuters: Last night in a new report, Democrat-friendly Goldman Sachs dropped an economic bomb on [...]

[...] looking for 3.5 percent GDP growth in 2012, followed by 4.4 percent in 2013, 4.3 percent in 2014. James Pethokoukis | Analysis & Opinion | Reuters.com __________________ "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be [...]

I’ve always gotten the feeling from the Democrats think a good economy “Just happens”. When it crashes, all you need to do is sit around and it will bounce right back up!

Usually this is foiled by the Republicans as they stop new taxes and programs from being created while the economy recovers. But this time there wasn’t enough Republican influence in Washington. The first two years of the Obama Presidency gave free rein to the Democrats.

This time they were able to implement anything their hearts desired. I suspect they just couldn’t wait for the economy to bounce back and take all the credit for it, plus new social programs and taxes.

[...] James Pethokoukis passes along a not-yet-public report from Goldman Sachs that forecasts very little economic growth between now and the 2012 election: Following another week of weak economic data, we have cut our estimates for real GDP growth in the second and third quarter of 2011 to 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, from 2% and 3.25%. Our forecasts for Q4 and 2012 are under review, but even excluding any further changes we now expect the unemployment rate to come down only modestly to 8¾% at the end of 2012. [...]

[...] Bartin during Newsalert sloping me to this Reuters story by mercantile researcher James Pethokoukis: Last night in a new report, Democrat-friendly Goldman Sachs forsaken an mercantile explosve on [...]

[...] across the board and warned that unemployment wouldn’t budge much over the next eighteen months, as James Pethokoukis reports: Following another week of weak economic data, we have cut our estimates for real GDP growth in the [...]

[...] only for the overall U.S. economy, but more specifically for the Obama re-election campaign. Via James Pethokoukis at Reuters: Last night in a new report, Democrat-friendly Goldman Sachs dropped an economic bomb on [...]

[...] shape than it is now. The Republicans saved the country from a full frontal assault of Obamanomics. James Pethokoukis provides the details from Democrat-friendly Goldman Sachs about how bad things are going and how bad they will continue [...]

[...] will come down until after the 2012 election and that GDP growth is expected to be flat. Reuters reported: Last night in a new report, Democrat-friendly Goldman Sachs dropped an economic bomb on President [...]

[...] many fronts and basically left most of the population with a huge bill. I am amazed that people like James Pethokoukis can even find outlets s they can ask for more of the same. It’s pretty appalling. Goldman Sachs doesn’t have to tell you things are bad. I don’t [...]

[...] He first takes issue with James Pethokoukis’s blog post at Reuters on the recent report from Goldman Sachs. So I’m reading this James Pethokoukis blog post at Reuters about Goldman Sachs’ grim new outlook on unemployment. This is the wrap up: [...]

[...] Political Uncertainty in 2012 James Pethokoukis of Reuters.com noted the following quote in a Goldman Sachs press release that went out Friday night: …we now expect the unemployment rate to come down only modestly to [...]

[...] The lead story on Drudge this morning is that there is panic in the White House where the Democratic Party’s best friends over at Goldman Sachs see unemployment remaining high and are now talking in terms of a possible second recession. Personally, I hadn’t realised that the first one had ended, but that may just be me. Goldman Sachs may wish not to have to rat on someone who has done them so much good, but there comes a time when you can only stretch the truth so far. It is really hard to escape just how bad things here are. This is taken from the Goldman Sachs report: Following another week of weak economic data, we have cut our estimates for real GDP growth in the second and third quarter of 2011 to 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, from 2% and 3.25%. Our forecasts for Q4 and 2012 are under review, but even excluding any further changes we now expect the unemployment rate to come down only modestly to 8¾% at the end of 2012…. [...]

White House panic? My god folks, we should all be. This is our country, our economy, we should not be rejoicing over bad news on the economy. I get the feeling that many people would be delighted to have an economic nightmare just to make the president look bad. Hardly American if you ask me.

[...] Panic at the White House? Gloomy Goldman Sachs sees high unemployment, possible recession Does Obama Have a Problem With His Base? Josh Treviño says polls show Americans believe the federal debt ceiling should not be raised and the debt and deficit should be dealt with mostly by cutting spending What Happened to the $2.6 Trillion Social Security Trust Fund? 3 Reasons Why The Debt-Ceiling Debate is Full of Malarkey Default ‘Off the Table,’ Debt Deal Will Be Struck: Geithner [...]

[...] Panic at the White House? Gloomy Goldman Sachs sees high unemployment, possible recession Does Obama Have a Problem With His Base? Josh Treviño says polls show Americans believe the federal debt ceiling should not be raised and the debt and deficit should be dealt with mostly by cutting spending What Happened to the $2.6 Trillion Social Security Trust Fund? 3 Reasons Why The Debt-Ceiling Debate is Full of Malarkey Default ‘Off the Table,’ Debt Deal Will Be Struck: Geithner [...]

[...] comes true, Obama is doomed: “Alarms bells must be ringing all over Obamaland,” says James Pethokoukis at Reuters. The Obama administration, in an “astoundingly optimistic forecast,” promised that the [...]

[...] Panic at the White House? Gloomy Goldman Sachs sees high unemployment, possible recession Does Obama Have a Problem With His Base? Josh Treviño says polls show Americans believe the federal debt ceiling should not be raised and the debt and deficit should be dealt with mostly by cutting spending What Happened to the $2.6 Trillion Social Security Trust Fund? 3 Reasons Why The Debt-Ceiling Debate is Full of Malarkey Default ‘Off the Table,’ Debt Deal Will Be Struck: Geithner [...]

[...] comes true, Obama is doomed: ”Alarms bells must be ringing all over Obamaland,” says James Pethokoukis atReuters. The Obama administration, in an “astoundingly optimistic forecast,” promised that the [...]

[...] sees economic growth below 3 percent through 2016. And Democrat-friendly Goldman Sachs now thinks a double-dip recession is possible even as it lowers its growth forecast and raises its prediction for [...]

[...] Panic at the White House? Gloomy Goldman Sachs sees high unemployment, possible recession Does Obama Have a Problem With His Base? Josh Treviño says polls show Americans believe the federal debt ceiling should not be raised and the debt and deficit should be dealt with mostly by cutting spending What Happened to the $2.6 Trillion Social Security Trust Fund? 3 Reasons Why The Debt-Ceiling Debate is Full of Malarkey Default ‘Off the Table,’ Debt Deal Will Be Struck: Geithner Follow Brad on Twitter Follow Ben on Twitter Follow Francis on Twitter [...]

[...] comes true, Obama is doomed: “Alarms bells must be ringing all over Obamaland,” says James Pethokoukis at Reuters. The Obama administration, in an “astoundingly optimistic forecast,” promised that the [...]

[...] Panic at the White House? Gloomy Goldman Sachs sees high unemployment, possible recession Does Obama Have a Problem With His Base? Josh Treviño says polls show Americans believe the federal debt ceiling should not be raised and the debt and deficit should be dealt with mostly by cutting spending What Happened to the $2.6 Trillion Social Security Trust Fund? 3 Reasons Why The Debt-Ceiling Debate is Full of Malarkey Default ‘Off the Table,’ Debt Deal Will Be Struck: Geithner [...]

[...] Panic at the White House? Gloomy Goldman Sachs sees high unemployment, possible recession Does Obama Have a Problem With His Base? Josh Treviño says polls show Americans believe the federal debt ceiling should not be raised and the debt and deficit should be dealt with mostly by cutting spending What Happened to the $2.6 Trillion Social Security Trust Fund? 3 Reasons Why The Debt-Ceiling Debate is Full of Malarkey Default ‘Off the Table,’ Debt Deal Will Be Struck: Geithner [...]

[...] The economy grew at a 1.8 percent pace in the first quarter. Last week, Goldman Sachs cut its estimates “for real GDP growth in the second and third quarter of 2011 to 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, from [...]

[...] Panic at the White House? Gloomy Goldman Sachs sees high unemployment, possible recession Does Obama Have a Problem With His Base? Josh Treviño says polls show Americans believe the federal debt ceiling should not be raised and the debt and deficit should be dealt with mostly by cutting spending What Happened to the $2.6 Trillion Social Security Trust Fund? 3 Reasons Why The Debt-Ceiling Debate is Full of Malarkey Default ‘Off the Table,’ Debt Deal Will Be Struck: Geithner [...]

Author Profile

James Pethokoukis is the Money & Politics columnist for Reuters Breakingviews. Previously, he was the business editor and economics columnist for U.S. News & World Report. Pethokoukis has written for many publications including The New York Times, The Weekly Standard, Commentary, USA Today, and Investor's Business Daily. Pethokoukis is also an official CNBC contributor. In addition, he has appeared numerous times on MSNBC, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, The McLaughlin Group, CNN, and Nightly Business Report on PBS. A graduate of Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism, Pethokoukis is a 2002 Jeopardy! champion. james.pethokoukis@thomsonreuters.com